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Mao's China Unit 2 > Lesson 5-What caused the Great Famine 1958-62 and why was it so severe? > Flashcards

Lesson 5-What caused the Great Famine 1958-62 and why was it so severe? Flashcards

1
Q

Define sparrowcide in China.

A

Introduced in 1958 by Mao Zedong, as a hygiene campaign aimed to eradicate the pests responsible for the transmission of pestilence and disease

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2
Q

What is Lysenkoism?

A

The soviet theories of improved crop yields which earned the support of Joseph Stalin

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3
Q

What is economic incentive?

A

Cost or benefit that motivates a decision or action by consumers, businesses, or other participants in the economy

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4
Q

What was the Anti-Rightist Campaign?

A

A reaction against the Hundred Flowers Campaign which had promoted pluralism of expression and criticism of the government, even though initiation of both campaigns was controlled by Mao

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5
Q

What is the ‘Conspiracy of silence’?

A

The unwillingness or inability of cadres within China to speak out about the scale of the Famine.

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6
Q

Who was Peng Dehuai?

A

Long March veteran with reputation for straight talking (be frank).
Led PLA during Korean War and had become defence minister in 1954.

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7
Q

In July 1959, where did the party hold a conference?

A

At the mountain town of Lushan in Jiangxi

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8
Q

When was the Lushan Conference?

A

Between July 1959 and August 1959

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9
Q

Why was the Lushan Conference called?

A

To discuss the state of the GLF

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10
Q

Prior to the Lushan Conference, what had Mao announced?

A

That he was stepping down as Chairman of the PRC whilst still remaining Chairman of the Party.

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11
Q

What had Mao recently announced about the harvest but what was the truth?

A

It had reached 430 million tonnes, before revising down to 375 million tonnes, whilst in reality the figure was closer to 200 million tonnes.

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12
Q

Why was Khrushchev linked to the Lushan Conference?

A

He made a similar speech in Russia at that time making similar points to Peng.
Gave impression he had gone behind Mao’s back

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13
Q

Following on from the Lushan Conference it became clear that the only individual who could criticise Mao was?

A

Mao himself

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14
Q

Following the Lushan Conference, Peng was replaced as leader of PLA by?

A

Lin Biao

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15
Q

What did Minister of Defence, Peng Dehuai voice doubts about at the Lushan Conference?

A

The reports of a record grain harvest of 375 million tons.

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16
Q

The Great Famine is widely acknowledged to be the worst famine of the 20th century.
True or false?

A

True

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17
Q

Between what years was the Great Famine?

A

1958-62

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18
Q

What percentage of Tibet’s population died due to the famine?

A

25%

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19
Q

What were accepted figures of deaths due to the Great Famine?

A

30-50 million

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20
Q

Summarise 6 key reasons which caused severity of Great Famine.

A
  1. Mao too ambitious
  2. Mao dismissed/purged many experts
  3. Mao believed his ideological aims more important than live of his people
  4. Peasants lacked skills
  5. Adverse weather
  6. Lack of incentive for peasants
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21
Q

Why was there a lack of incentive for peasants to work in communes?

A

Removal of private property
Removal of work points

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22
Q

What adverse weather caused the severity of the famine?

A

Severe drought followed by torrential downpour

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23
Q

What skills did peasants not have which caused severity of famine?

A

Did not have skills to move from being subsistence (producing for oneself to survive) farmers to producing mass surpluses.

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24
Q

What did China not have in order to transport the masses of food that had been created?

A

The infrastructure, transport or communication systems

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25
Q

What shows that Mao believed his ideological aims were more important than the lives of his people?

A

In 1957 he declared that the death of half the Chinese population in a nuclear war would be a sacrifice worth paying for victory.

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26
Q

During what campaign had Mao dismissed/purged many experts?

A

Anti-rightist campaign (following on from Hundred Flowers Campaign)

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27
Q

What did the anti-rightist campaign create in China which contributed to the severity of the famine?

A

Created a climate of fear or conspiracy of silence which prevented any cadres and remaining intellectuals in speaking out.
Led to over ambitious and inflated production figures.

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28
Q

How did Mao being too ambitious contribute to the severity of the Great Famine?

A

Tried to launch commune system and 2nd FYP at same time.
Was mobilising peasants into too many endeavours-could not produce food, supervise backyard furnaces and work on water conservancy projects miles from their village.

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29
Q

At the Lushan Conference, what were individuals discouraged from producing?

A

Food beyond his or her own immediate needs

30
Q

What has Chinese agronomist made a series of discoveries about which was said at the Lushan Conference?

A

Crop growing that would revolutionise food production

31
Q

Mao announced at the party that he was standing down as State Chairman/Chairman of the PRC but remained Chairman of the CCP/Party. Who did he give the Chairman of PRC role to?

A

Liu Shaoqi

32
Q

Which individual openly challenged the GLF?

A

Peng Dehuai

33
Q

What did Mao do to Peng’s letter?

A

Published it and challenged delegates to either line up with himself or Peng

34
Q

What gave Mao the confidence to push forward with the GLF?

A

Failure of others to support Peng

35
Q

Who replaced Peng as leader of the PLA?

A

Lin Biao

36
Q

Who drank themselves into stupor (oblivion) due to their shame for not supporting Peng Dehuai?

A

Zhou Enlai

37
Q

From what year did the reduction in food production begin?

A

1958

38
Q

Nearly every province was affected by the famine. What area of China was most greatly affected by the famine?

A

Central China

39
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Shandong?

A

7.5 million

40
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Anhui?

A

8 million

41
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Henan?

A

7.8 million

42
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Sichuan?

A

9 million

43
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Qinghai?

A

1 million

44
Q

How many people died of the Great Famine in Tibet?

A

1 million

45
Q

What kinds of things did people do in order to try and survive the famine?

A

Parents sold their children

Husbands sold their wives

Women prostituted themselves to obtain food for their families

Offered themselves as slaves

46
Q

As suffering in Central China continued, what did the government continue to do?

A

Requisition (seize/demand) grain

47
Q

What percentage of crops did the state take in 1957?

A

17%

48
Q

What percentage of crops did the state take in 1958?

A

21%

49
Q

What percentage of crops did the state take in 1959?

A

28%

50
Q

What percentage of crops did the state take in 1960?

A

21%

51
Q

Summarise a conspiracy of silence.

A

Government advisers unaware of facts

Knew people dying by the million-dare not speak out

Reports claimed targets being met and GLF was success

Peasants known to remove crops and place along train tracks that Mao would pass

52
Q

What region of China suffered the most as a result of the Great Famine?

A

Tibet

53
Q

How many of Tibet’s 4 million people were wiped out?

A

1/4

54
Q

It was said the death toll in Tibet was…?

A

Intended and man-made

55
Q

What year was there a re-emergence of Tibetan resistance against the PLA?

A

1959

56
Q

What was the Tibetan resistance to lead, in 1959, against the Chinese occupation?

A

A national uprising

57
Q

What did Chinese occupiers demand about the farming techniques created by Chairman Mao?

A

That they be adopted in Tibet

58
Q

What food was a part of a stable Tibetan diet?

A

Barley

59
Q

Tibetans were forbidden to grow what?

A

Barley

60
Q

Instead of barley , what were Tibetans instructed to sow?

A

Wheat and maize

61
Q

What was the negative about asking the Tibetans to sow wheat and maize instead of barley?

A

Neither crop was suitable to soil or climate-led to destruction

62
Q

What happened as a result of the Tibetans not being allowed to use yak herds?

A

Led to the emaciation (starvation) of the animals, then the starvation of the people.

63
Q

Why was Mao forced to acknowledge the famine unlike the disasters of the GLF?

A

The death toll was so devestating

64
Q

Mao acknowledged the Great Famine but refused to admit that it was as a result of what?

A

His policies of collectivisation and applied Socialist Science

65
Q

Instead of placing the blame of the Great Famine on himself, what 3 factors did Mao place it on?

A
  1. Hoarding of grain by peasants
  2. Mistakes of local officials
  3. Exceptionally bad weather of the years 1958 – 61
66
Q

How much truth was there in the 3 factors Mao placed the blame of the Great Famine on?

A

No truth in the first, some in the second, little in the third

67
Q

What was not effective enough to be able to transport food?

A

Transport and communication systems

68
Q

Mao was naive in accepting Lysenko’s theories.
True or false?

A

True

69
Q

What did cadres and remaining intellectuals being scared to speak out lead to?

A

Over ambitious and inflated production figures

70
Q

What happened to anyone who was brave enough to speak out about production levels?

A

Likely to be sent to the Laogai

71
Q

How was Mao mobilising peasants into too many endeavours?

A

Peasants could not be producing food, supervising backyard furnaces and working on water conservancy projects miles from their village.

Mao's China Unit 2 (6 decks)

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